These $10 Robots Will Change Robotics Education

And the future of robotics education in Africa is ... Chupa Chups?

When the African Robotics Network announced their $10 robot design challenge this summer, co-founder Ken Goldberg was careful not to share too many expectations, lest he influence contestants' designs. But he never imagined one of the winning entries would prominently feature a pair of Spanish lollipops.

"The ingenuity that has come from all over the world to address this problem is just astounding," Goldberg said in an interview with Wired Design. "And we're very excited about the next step, which is that once they're awarded, some of them will become available products."

The contest had a few simple restrictions, including the loose $10 target; entrants from around the world had to build a prototype, offer instructions on a website, and make the whole plan open-source, software included. The winners were little, an inch or two in size and up, never more than a foot long. They were sourced from cardboard, old cell phones, and circuit boards. They performed simple tasks: navigating, following lines, even communicating with each other.

"It's a mix of people who really ... want to make this happen," said Goldberg. "No one here did this just to say 'here's something, a thought experiment'."

Designs were judged by a 6-member jury of robotics industry professionals, and compiled by Goldberg and Korsah, who are professors at the University of California in Berkeley and Ashesi University College in Ghana, respectively.

Suckerbot, designed by Thomas Tilley, a computer scientist living in Thailand, started with a hacked PlayStation controller, and wound up winning first prize in the tethered robot category. In this case, the tether is the controller's USB cable, and Tilley attached the rumble motors to a pair of wheels. Suckerbot's list of parts comes to $8.96, but the real genius is the Chupa Chups. Tilley needed a way for the robot to sense if it ran into something, so he stuck a lollipop in each joystick. Whenever the Suckerbot bumps something, the weight of the sucker tips the joystick forward, and a signal is sent to the processor.

Many of the robots were created specifically for the challenge. Kilobot, however, was years in the making. Created by a Harvard robotics team, including Michael Rubenstein, Radhika Nagpal, and Christian Ahler, it was meant to be a multi-unit swarming robot. Having to build 1024 pieces made the project well suited for the event.

"If you're going to build a lot of robots, you need to have them be cheap and easy to make and easy to use," said Rubenstein. "So all of those things also aided in the AFRON challenge."

"I think there is a great need for — not only in Africa, but even in the U.S. — low-cost robots that you could use for education," Rubenstein went on. "There are people who try to make that now, but they're only in the hundreds of dollars for an educational robot."

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON. Video: Courtesy of Kilobot

Second Prize, tethered category: Baobot

Baobot can sense collisions and follow a line, for starters, but the Arduino-based bot allows students to modify its abilities, or control it directly through the tether. The "Bot of Knowledge" — named after Africa's Baobab tree — comes as a complete robot or an assembly kit.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

Third Prize, tethered category: Afrobot

Alexander Reben built the Afrobot primarily from cardboard, not just to keep cost down, but because it's easy to work with and modify. Reben simply poked holes in the body to mount light and infrared sensors, and used zip ties to secure the microcontroller and wheel motors.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

Fourth Prize, tethered category: RoboArm

The RoboArm wasn't just built for Africa; it was built in Africa, as a senior project at the Obafemi Awolowo University. The arm has five joints, including a gripping pincer, and uses clear plastic for the structure and scavenged motors.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

First Prize, roaming category: Kilobot

Kilobot is a circular circuit board with three twiggy legs, two vibrating motors that help it go forward or rotate, and advanced sensory abilities, all for around $14 in parts. It's cute, but it really gets interesting when you program a group of them together — a swarm. They'll interact, avoiding each other, playing follow-the-leader, or even performing foraging simulations.

"The idea is to have large groups of robots working together to complete a task that they can't do on their own," said Kilobot's Michael Rubenstein. "So you think of ants, working together to complete a task and stuff like that."

Photo: Courtesy of Kilobot

Second Prize, roaming category: SwarmRobot

SwarmRobot spawned at the Xinchejian hackerspace in Shanghai, prior to the AFRON challenge, but with many of the same goals. The AFRON model came in with $9.51 in parts, but it's extensively customizable — Xinchejian members built many variations with different components.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

Third Prize, roaming category: SEG

Equal parts Segway and origami, the MIT-designed SEG robot slings it's body between two wheels made of folded polyester. SEG navigates via an infrared sensor, and a brass counterweight keeps the motor stationary while the wheels rotate.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

Fourth Prize, roaming category: DiscBot

Although the prototype DiscBot cost well over $10 to make, as did many of the machines of other entrants, a large-scale production run could bring it under $10 per unit. The kit is based on laser-cut basswood, with an Ardunio processor and light and ultrasound sensors. Attach a pen, and DiscBot can be programmed to create a detailed drawing, thanks to its precise stepper motors.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

First Prize, self-contained category: MITBOTS

The self-contained, or all-in-one category required entrants to build robots that require no external computer to program them. MITBOTS uses an ARM processor and a touch sensor to let students program dozens of functions into the plastic (grades 4-6) or metal (grades 7-12) robot. Their site also offers schematics and lesson plans for students.

Photo: Courtesy of AFRON

Second Prize, self-contained category: N-Bot

N-Bot connects to a scavenged or donated smartphone which acts as the robot's brain, though it can also be run tethered. N-Bot can take advantage of sensors already on the phone, like voice recognition, GPS, accelerometer, and camera.